Exactly what John Longmire meant when he revealed two months ago that Lance Franklin had “only trained about 20 minutes for the season” is a Sydney Swans secret.
It’s coach-speak for the fact the Franklin, who carried a chronic heel problem from Round 1, was significantly inconvenienced throughout his fifth season in Sydney.
Said coach Longmire in part on 27 July: “He plays with duress most weeks …. He’s an amazing individual the way he’s been able to do it after being injured in Round 1 … his ability to get up on game day is probably the best I’ve ever seen”.
It was a staggering revelation at the time, albeit light on detail, yet when the AFL’s elite gathered for the annual Brownlow Medal dinner in Melbourne last night it mattered little.
The Brownlow medal is all about numbers. Or votes. There are no concessions for injuries and disrupted preparations.
Yet, just as he did in his first season with the Swans in 2014, Franklin topped the Swans 2018 vote tally, polling 16 votes to finish equal 12th overall.
It was a count won by Hawthorn’s ex-Swan and hot favorite Tom Mitchell (28 votes) from Collingwood’s Steele Sidebottom (24) and Melbourne bolter Angus Brayshaw (21), who was not even invited to the count.
Carlton’s Patrick Cripps and Melbourne’s Max Gawn shared 4th spot with 20 votes, ahead of Adelaide’s Rory Laird (19) and Richmond’ Dustin Martin (19), Brisbane’s Dayne Beams (18), St.Kilda’s Jack Steven (18), Geelong’s Patrick Dangerfield (17) and Collingwood’s Brody Grundy (17).
Level with Franklin were GWS’s Lachie Whitfield and the ineligible Nat Fyfe from Fremantle and Andrew Gaff from West Coast.
Other Swans to poll were Luke Parker (10), Isaac Heeney (7), Josh Kennedy (6), Callum Sinclair (6), Jake Lloyd (6), Ben Ronke (5), Callum Mills (3), Aliir Aliir (3). Oliver Florent (3), George Hewett (3, Jarrad McVeigh (2) and Dane Rampe (1).
For Ronke, Mills, Aliir, Florent and Hewett it was the first time they had featured in the votes.
But this was about Franklin and a story that could have been ever better had the 31-year-old champion not missed Rounds 6-7-8-23 through injury.
He polled seven times in 18 games and collected maximum votes in Round 1 against West Coast, when he kicked eight goals, Round 12 against St.Kilda (four goals), Round 20 against Collingwood (six goals) and Round 22 against GWS (five goals).
And he missed out in Round 2 against Port Adelaide when he kicked four goals and was ranked the third-best player on the ground in the coach’s votes.
Franklin’s four three-vote ratings was bettered only by Mitchell (6) and Sidebottom (7), and equalled by Adelaide’s Rory Laird, St.Kilda’s Jack Steven and Fyfe.
It was a wonderful performance on “20 minutes training for the entire year”.
Equally compelling, if not more so, is Franklin’s record over his time with the Swans.
In his five seasons with the club he has now polled annuals hauls of 22-8-17-22-16 votes. Total 85.
In the same period only four players in the competition have polled more votes – Dangerfield (130), Martin (114), Fyfe (91) and teammate and captain Kennedy (89).
Significantly, too, in Brownlow terms Franklin now is more a Swan than he is a Hawk.
After 82 Brownlow votes in his 182-game career with Hawthorn he now has 85 votes in 108 games with Sydney.
Having gone into the 2018 count 26th in all-time Brownlow votes with 151, or equal 23rd after adjustments to accommodate the two-umpire voting system of 1976-77, he jumped seven positions last night.
He went passed Nick Riewoldt (153), ex-Swan Greg Williams (154), Dick Reynolds (154), the Melbourne/Adelaide Scott Thompson (155), Shane Crawford (161), Sydney games record-holder Adam Goodes (163) and Keith Greig (165). Together this group has won the medal 10 times.
Parker collected his third double-figure vote tally in a row and his fourth in five years when he polled six times, including three votes in the Round 4 win over the Bulldogs.
Completing a triple Swans representation in the top 10, Parker ranks ninth in total votes over the past five years with 73, behind Dangerfield, Martin, Fyfe, Kennedy, Franklin, Joel Selwood (79), Scott Pendlebury (78) and Tom Mitchell (77).
In other Swans three-vote ratings, Kennedy topped the votes against Geelong in Round 6, Lloyd followed against Fremantle in Round 9, Sinclair did likewise against Carlton in Round 11 and Heeney followed against Melbourne in Round 21.
Heading the first-time vote-getters, Mills opened his Brownlow account with three votes against GWS in Round 3 before Ronke did likewise when his magnificent seven-goal haul against Hawthorn in Round 8 earned him three votes.
Florent, too, celebrated his first time in the count with three votes in Round 13 against West Coast, when he had a career-best 29 possessions.
Hewitt was rewarded for a breakout season with one vote against Brisbane in Round 10 and two votes against Hawthorn in Round 23, while Aliir completed an outstanding comeback to the senior team late in the season with 2 votes against Essendon in Round 19 and one vote against Melbourne in Round 21.
Sinclair might consider himself a little unlucky in Round 3 – He received top votes from the coaches, ahead of Mills, but the umpires’ votes went to Mills (3), GWS’ Nick Haynes (2) and Franklin (1).
Sydney Swans top five
16 – Lance Franklin
10 – Luke Parker
7 – Isaac Heeney
6 – Josh Kennedy
6 – Jake Lloyd
6 – Callum Sinclair
Total votes – 71
